Amit Mehra Founder and Managing Director

 RML: A pioneering consumer-centric social enterprise

Impact of the innovation on farmers lives

Sharing the lessons - The multiplier effect

The customer pain

 At what price should I expect for my crop?  Where and when should I harvest and sell my crop?  What is the likely weather condition in my district?  How can I boost my productivity? Felt by ~ 120m cultivators in India

Farmers get very little for their produce

Huge wastage in crops and resources Poor bargaining power

Addressing the pain through the first personalized professional information service business
Everyday Local language, fitting in their workflow, as per their individual preferences, on a paidfor subscription!

Crop Prices from nearby markets Agriculture News that impact crop or input prices Advisory Tips that help improve productivity District Level Weather forecasts that help improve productivity

A pioneering business: Created a new industry sector and a business model

Content
Hundreds of content professionals in villages

Delivery
Personalized on all operators and handsets

Sales
Through over 4000 rural outlets

Marketing
Awareness and Education of Farmers

Support
Choice throughout the crop cycle

Prototyping Research With over 1500 farmers

Value testing

Market trials With over 7000 farmers

Go-to-market in Maharashtra 400-700 farmers every 6-8 weeks

With over 300 farmers

Ethnography with 8 farmers

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Innovation at several levels

1.

Created an unprecedented financial and emotional impact on farmers lives (~ $20 to 100m of additional productivity gains / empowerment). Created a business model from content through to distribution to sell Micro-Information Services that directly impact livelihoods. Built an eco-system through partnerships with credit societies, handset manufacturers, telecom operators, banks and agri input companies to reach farmers.

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Impact on the farmers lives

I used to sell Bananas for R. 4 a kilo. Based on RML messages, I negotiated the rate to Rs. 7 per kilo with the same buyer. 75% higher price.

Ravindra Shinde harvested soybean and was about to sell. The price was Rs. 1620/- (~$320). He gathered from RML about a fall in soybean production in the US and Argentina. He held back the sale and sold later at 2430/(~$500) per quintal. I I got message on relative humidity going up to 70%. As a precaution, I put a spray of Rs. 500 (~$10). My friend did not know this. He lost nearly Rs. 4 lakh (~$8,000) of his crop that day.

I have instructed my labourers to sow the seeds 3 inches into the soil, earlier this method was not scientific, they would sow the seeds 5-7 inches.

Massive Return on Investment for customers

Letter of Thanks sent to RML by customer Mr.Sandeep Lodha, District Nasik, Maharashtra

Impact on the farmers lives

Video 2 RML Overview and Testimonials

The multiplier effect of RML..

Government and Semi-Government Institutes
The UNDP accolade: Millennium Development Goals ICRIER study in 2009: Massive Financial Impact World Economic Forum: Showcasing the model 10, Downing Street: Showcasing the impact

Leading academic Institutes

London Business School case study Cambridge University Business and Poverty Leadership Program Oxford University and World Bank Study Harvard Business School Research

Leading national, regional and global media

BBC, The Economist, Sunday Times, FT, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, Knowledge @ Wharton, and USA Today Mention in Nandan Nilekanis book Imagining India Four page write-up in C.K. Prahalads book Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid

RMLs growth in India..

Over 2 years, c. 200,000 customers. Most now buying for over 6 months. Over a million estimated users. An estimated 15,000 plus villages. Hundreds of full-time content professionals. 250 crops,1000 mandis, localised and international news, and 2000 weather locations for 12 states.
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Road ahead: Impact millions of livelihoods in a sustainable profitable manner.

India Africa Other emerging markets ***************

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 Appendix

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The RML Journey: Key Challenges Internal

Funding Governance

External
Usual Start-up challenges People, Partners, Consumer uptake

Specific to RML in India

Content Personalisation Distribution and Marketing

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The RML Journey: Lessons Learnt CUSTOMER EMPATHY IS AT THE HEART SHOW, DONT JUST TELL TEAM IS CRITICAL ENTREPRENEURIAL, OPENMINDED, RISK-TAKERS MAKE CLEAR ASSUMPTIONS, THEN TEST THEM RIGHT MANAGEMENT PROCESS AND ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURES MATTER

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Distributing an Information Service in Rural India

Going village to village Selling information through agri shops Selling through channel partners
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